Captain Cody

His trainer, Willie Mullins, is the most successful jumping trainer in Ireland and one of the most decorated in the world — his yard has sent out 220 winners already this season, a figure that barely seems real. Mullins has described Captain Cody as a thorough stayer who would gallop all day long, and the Scottish National, run over four miles of Ayr's testing course, suited him perfectly. The plan going in was to get him relaxed early and let him settle into a rhythm rather than fight for his head, a tactic that paid off beautifully. Jockey Paul Townend rode him that day with a calm, patient style, and Mullins was fulsome in praise of the ride.

The ground is a key factor with this horse. On wet, muddy ground he has won 2 from 5 races — a 40% win rate, meaning he wins 2 in every 5 times conditions get genuinely testing. That is a remarkable conversion rate and tells you that when the weather turns foul, Captain Cody becomes a much more dangerous proposition than his overall record suggests.

The question now is what comes next. Mullins has hinted that the Grand National — the great Aintree showpiece — is on the radar this season, and possibly the Irish equivalent at Fairyhouse, where Captain Cody has already shown he knows his way around. It is worth noting that he has not won in his last six races, and his most recent form figures — a fifth, a seventh, and a third — suggest he has been knocking on the door without quite getting through it. He last won 13 months ago, so a return to form is overdue. But horses who win Scottish Nationals are not ordinary horses. If Mullins can find the right race in the right conditions, Captain Cody could yet have his biggest day still ahead of him.